Need for Speed Most Wanted Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Sprint Mode is arguably the most difficult mode in the game: not only do you have to drive as quickly as possible and get only one chance to utilize the shortcuts and Pursuit Breakers, but you have do it all while contending with up to three other racers with the same goal in mind.

This guide primarily focuses on sprint tracks. But because all tracks across all modes overlap with each other, we've included a cheat sheet that details which tracks share the same shortcuts, Pursuit Breakers, and fastest race lines with its sprint track brethren. Once you've mastered the Sprint tracks, the rest of the game falls into place.

Circuit Mode

Circuit Mode is like Sprint Mode, except the tracks are shorter and you do them over and over and over. The same principles of Sprint Mode apply here, except that you'll want to save the Pursuit Breakers for the last lap. Because catch up Mode is always in effect, any slowdown you cause your AI opponents in the beginning is virtually worthless: by the final lap they'll be back on your tail, without fail. Using the Pursuit Breaker on the last lap gives them less time to catch up.

Speedtrap Mode

Speedtrap Mode sprinkles the track with traffic cameras, which records how fast you're going as you cross their path. The person that accumulates the highest number of recorded speed wins the race. For this mode, you'll want to ignore all shortcuts and focus on picking up as much speed as possible on the real track. Burn up all of your nitro as you approach the camera, and then refill it in-between cameras.

However, don't fall behind first place: every second that passes after first place crosses the finish line, six miles is scratched off your accumulated miles record.

Tollbooth Mode

Like a Practice Mode, but with no dilly-dallying. It's just you, the open road, and a hell of a lot of tollbooths. Each track has several tollbooths that you need to cross within a certain amount of time in order to continue. All of the time you have leftover after crossing a tollbooth increases the amount of time you have to cross the next tollbooth so, like Speedtrap, its beneficial to use all of your nitro right before a tollbooth.

(Note: Tollbooth tracks are available only in Career Mode.)

Drag Mode

In Drag Mode, you don't need to worry about turning: just hold down the Accelerate Button and the game will do the rest. Not crashing and burning, however, is still up to you.

Drag Mode eschews transmission options and designates your car as a manual The tracks may be short, but that only means less time for you to recover should you make a mistake. Thus, it's imperative that you get the Perfect Launch each and every time, not to mention perfect shifts. Arrows occasionally appear in the center of the screen as you drive in Drag Mode, denoting windows of opportunities to shift. The appearance of the blue arrow means that it's a good time to shift but you won't get the greatest speed increase. It's when the arrow turns green that you'll want to shift up to the next gear. If the arrow turns red, you're over revving and in danger of overheating your engine, a race-sacrificing move.

Weaving through traffic is the most useful tactic during drag races. Whenever you pass a car to your left or right, it's usually a good idea to merge into that lane since it remains clear for a while.